the disarray of the sector after the reduction of the budget allocated to the MaPrimeRenov’ system

The Minister of the Economy Bruno le Maire announced on Sunday a reduction of one billion euros in the budget allocated to MaPrimeRenov’.

The MaPrimeRenov’ system is undergoing a new change. The financial envelope allocated to this measure, which aims to help energy renovation work, will be cut by one billion euros. The Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire announced it on Sunday February 18, as part of a government plan to make savings of 10 billion euros. This news initially sounds like a bad signal in the energy renovation sector and could undermine the objectives set by the government.

“The government’s objective is to carry out 200,000 large-scale renovations. The reality is that with this budget, we will only be able to carry out 150,000 to 160,000 large-scale renovations”deplores Pierre Maillard, president of the Hellio company, which supports households in their renovation work. “These are multi-jet renovations, that is to say we will change heating systems, carry out insulation measures, change ventilation, change joinery. This is a reduction in the budget of around 20%”he assures.

“It’s very complicated, you have no room for error”

But beyond this question of budget, it is above all the complexity of the files to be assembled which delays the renovation projects. “There are different types of aid to which each household is entitled. You have lots of criteria depending on your resources, the geographical location, the type of work and the type of house and accommodation you have. And in more than that, the slightest comma in your file can cause you to cancel all the aid to which you are entitled.explains Pierre Maillard.

“It’s very complicated, you have no room for error. It happens almost every day that we catch up with households who wanted to give up, because they told themselves that they didn’t did not have the means, that they did not have the right and that they will not have the aid. However, we must have this in mind: any household in France has the right to aid for carry out energy renovation work”wants to be positive about the president of Hellio.

Nearly 300 million euros unused

Further proof of this complexity: 300 million euros allocated to the MaPrimeRenov’ system were not used last year. An observation deplored by Jean-Christophe Repon, president of the Confederation of crafts and small construction companies (Capeb). “The budget for MaPrimRenov’ was not used up since access was far too complex and not enough companies were on the energy renovation market. The problem is not the budget, but its operation and the capacity we have to engage it more fully”he analyzes.

Announcements on the simplification of the system are expected in the coming weeks, from the Minister of Ecological Transition Christophe Béchu.